Greece and the decline of European democracy

Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), co-chair of the Euro-sceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group in the European Parliament, and perennial bane of eurocrats, gave a characteristically impassioned speech in that body this week, calling Greek Prime Minister Papademos a "puppet" and slamming the pretence that Greece remains a democratic country:
As Athens caught fire Friday night he [Papademos] rather took my breath away. He said, "violence and destruction have no place in a democratic country." What democratic country? He's not even a democratically elected prime minister! He's been appointed by you guys. Greece isn't run through democracy now; it's run through a troika: three foreign officials that [sic] fly into Athens airport and tell the Greeks what they can and can't do.
Farage went on to say that the violence and destruction are the result of rescinding Greeks' democratic rights, and he declared that were he in their position, he...(Read Full Post)